The Jackson Township Supervisors held their regular meeting at 7:00 p.m. at the Jackson Township Municipal Building. Members present were Supervisors Bruce Baker, John Wallet and Mark Westrick along with Secretary-Treasurer / Manager Dave Hirko and Solicitor Bill Barbin. The meeting was called to order by Bruce Baker, Chairman with the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

Board Roll Call was taken with all three Supervisors present.

Public Comments Concerning Agenda Items:
(None)

Minutes:
Motion Wallet, second Westrick to approve the minutes of the Board of Supervisors Meetings held on November 18, 2010 and December 9, 2010. Vote-3 yes.

Expenditures:
Motion Westrick, second Wallet to approve the bills for the period of November 19, 2010 through December 30, 2010. Vote-3 yes.

Correspondence:
Manager Hirko said, we received a letter from the DCNR about our Mitchell Park Project being closed out and the final payment request was approved with all the paperwork meeting the standards that they have. They are authorizing a final payment to us of $12,400 which is the balance of the original Grant of $123,600 and we can expect to have that check within 6 to 8 weeks.

Old Business:
(None)

New Business:
Motion Wallet, second Westrick to approve Resolution 07-10 adopting proposed budget for Jackson Township for 2011 as follows: General Fund $ 852,450.00, State Fund $ 255,000.00, Fire Hydrant Fund $ 11,000.00, Rescue Fund $ 35,700.00, Capital Reserve Fund $ 685,000.00, Senior Center Fund $ 64,800.00; Total of All Funds $: 1,903,950.00. Vote-3 yes.

Motion Westrick, second Wallet to appoint Tom Wray to the position of Township Auditor to fill the remainder of the term of Toni Merlo who was recently appointed to fill the vacancy left open by George Burkey. Vote-3 yes.

Motion Wallet, second Westrick to approve Capital Reserve Fund bill list for the period of November 19, 2010 through December 30, 2010 and transfer $ 20,620.00 from the Capital Reserve Fund to the General Fund. Vote-3 yes.

Motion Westrick, second Wallet on approving the time sheets from November 14, 2010 through November 27, 2010, November 28, 2010 through December 11, 2010 and December 12, 2010 through December 25, 2010. Vote-3 yes.

Other New Business:
(None)

Public Comments:
Eugene Kist said, what on that interest rate do you get on 1 million dollars? What does that net the Township roughly a month? Manager Hirko replied, I don’t know without looking bit in a month. . .first of all, we don’t have a million dollars in one account. It goes by account. Kist asked, do you go through the bank here Dave? Hirko replied, yes. . it goes through our local bank. Kist said, I think you ought to see something else where you get a higher interest rate on a month. That money’s layin there. The bank gives you a very small amount. . . if they’d get a little competitive. . .some are payin more than the others. If you’d go down and say this bank is payin that then maybe they would pay it. That’s money turned into money. Hirko said, there’s not a lot of money in interest right now anywhere. Kist said, but money’s money and I don’t give a damn who’s payin it. Hirko replied, we had checked before on CD’s and in fact we had CD’s before and that didn’t turn out the greatest either. Kist said, did you see in Elk County, it was one of the highest rated in Pennsylvania and the United States and their tourism brings stuff in. Did you notice that?. . and also. . do you know how many officers they have up there? Maybe three in the whole county and they have the highest tourism in the whole State. . that’s pretty good. Supervisor Wallet said, there’s not much of a population there though. Kist replied, maybe not a big population but you just figure the people comin in though. Wallet said, I’ve been up there on Sunday’s. . the Benezette area and things like that. Kist said, you figure if we could get something like this here. . .we have to have somethin comin in here. If the dump closes down, we’re done. Will Michaels said, what Eugene is sayin, I kind of disagree. I think right now with the economy, you put your money in the safest place there is. That’s what I feel because if you start puttin money somewhere else, you’re liable to lose a pile of it too. Chairman Baker said, well. . and the bank’s been good at matching. Hirko said, we’re also limited to what we can put money into. Michaels said, but you know what I’m saying. . you keep it safe. Solicitor Barbin said, the credit default swaps that some municipalities do. . those are risky. I still don’t understand how they’re legal. I don’t think they are but a bunch of them make big money on them. Steve Yurasek said, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush right now. Kist said, the Federal Government on money. . if you spend so much, they’ll spend so much. . if we could say. .ok. . here’s the interest on this. . we’re gonna spend this on creating something in the Township. . you match it and you put somebody to work. Barbin said, they offered that with the police thing but we didn’t want to do that because they give you three years and then you owe for their next five. The did do that with police and they did offer that to us and the Township turned it down. Kist said, we have to get the money here Bill. . we can’t let it get somewhere else. Barbin said, I don’t disagree with you. . I don’t disagree with you at all. Kist said, if it stays. . .we have to keep it here. We can’t let it go somewhere else. Baker added, and that’s why you put it in the ground for infrastructure. We got a lot of new homes. Kist said, with the Government. . we say we’re gonna spend this much here of what we have. . you show it on paper. You give so much and we’ll spend this much and that’s what you do. Barbin said, and that’s the Swigle Mountain Water Project . . we invested a lot of our money in it but we got a million and a half of their money and we got a water line to show for it forever now. Kist said, we have to start doing something.

Barbin said, that was the idea behind the Swigle Mountain Project and I think the Fords Corner Project too. Rich Wray said, for every dollar the Township invested in Swigle Mountain, it came back through funding. Baker said, that’s wonderful. Kist continued, that’s what I said with the Federal Government. . we go ahead with something like that and you show it on paper. . you know what I mean? You have so much here and you get so much there. . . ok. . you give us so much more and we keep it here. Why give it to a foreign country?. .there’s no sense in it. . and that’s what we’re doin with our money. We have to keep it here. If I’m wrong, tell me. I know I’m not all there but I know how to save a nickel.

George Burkey asked, did you get the 2010 Census Report for Jackson Township? I’m wondering what it’s like. Chairman Baker replied, so are we. . we’re anxiously awaiting it. Burkey said, we went below 5,000 last time. Manager Hirko said, I think it will dip some. . I don’t think a lot. Leisure Village will hurt because a lot of people have moved out of there. Baker added, we’ve picked up a few new homes. Hirko said, yes. .we’ve had 13 new homes this year which is a record since I’ve been here. Baker said, a few of them are trying to beat the new sprinkler laws. Burkey said, I think so. Will Michaels said, just think if the Building Code wasn’t there how many more there would be possibly.

Clair Michaels said, you’re gonna have to check that road again. Do you remember where you put that little blacktop patch the year before? Now it’s gettin bigger by the second crossover pipe above my house. It’s gettin bigger now. Chairman Baker said, and thank you. . .your water was running out on the road and building up with ice and we were going to mention it to you but you beat us to it. You cut back the ditch. Will Michaels said, that was that high water. Baker said, you must have a spring or something between the two driveways because it was coming out of there pretty good. Clair Michaels said, right there besides that little barn. . right beside it.

Eugene Kist said, on this Marcellus gas. . did anybody inquire about drillin for it in Jackson? Supervisor Wallet said, it’s been quiet. Solicitor Barbin said, they told us they got one planned up by Leidy but they haven’t gone forward with it. . not sure why. Will Michaels added, I think some of the problems there is you can get the gas out of the ground but transporting it is the big problem. I think the areas where they’re doin it right now, they have lines to get it transported. It’s gonna come here. Barbin said, Chief Oil & Gas is drilling over by Adams & Summerhill, Beaverdale, Dunlo but their permit’s in Reade Township. Steve Yurasek said, they’re drillin over in Bedford too if you go down over Pleasantville. . .the Marcellus right there. Wallet said, this week I was in Bradford County. . .oh my. . Williamsport. . you can’t believe it. Clair Michaels asked, that gas well they drilled up on Chickaree. . is that in Indiana County or Cambria County? Wallet answered, Cambria County. Clair Michaels said, ok. . that would be in Jackson Township then? I could see the rig up on the field there a little bit. Barbin said, there’s one off Olympian way. . wasn’t there? There’s a gas well off Olympian way down over the hill. Clair Michaels said, where I can see it from, I can only see the top part of it. Barbin said, the one I’m talking about is on Old Home Manor Farms property. Chairman Baker said, I don’t think that’s in Jackson. Barbin said, there was a permit at the beginning of this past year that came through the office and it was on the right side of 22 but on the left up on the mountain they’re drilling a bunch of new storage wells. Clair Michaels said, well this one was the one I seen settin there and all I could see is the top part of the lights. . . you know. .the top part of the derrick. Barbin said, well then you can’t really be sure how far it is. Wallet said, I guess it depends on how the line comes up through there. Clair Michaels said, I kind of figured it could be in Indiana County. Barbin said, the permit I’m talking about is real close to the Indiana County line. It’s right down there within 500. . 1,000 feet.

Announcements:
Chairman Baker announced, The Board of Supervisors Annual Reorganization Meeting will be held on Monday, January 3, 2011 at 7:00 pm. The Board of Supervisors next regularly scheduled meetings will be held on Thursday, January 13, 2011 at 8:00 AM and Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 7:00 pm at the Jackson Township Municipal Building.

Adjournment:
Motion Wallet, second Westrick to adjourn the meeting at 7:15. Vote-3 yes.